The following checklist has been designed to help your end-of-term grading run smoothly. This advice works best if you have followed the guidelines to Set Up Your Canvas Gradebook.
Before you make changes in Canvas, you may want to consider downloading a “just in case” version of your current gradebook. This can be used to restore your gradebook to its current state in the event something goes wrong. To download your current gradebook, go to your Canvas site. Click Grades > Export > Export entire gradebook to download a CSV file.
1.) Grade any outstanding assignments
Review students’ submissions and enter scores for any assignments that you have not already graded. If any exams contain a mix of question types, be sure to review and score any items that require human grading, such as essay or open-ended questions. For assistance with entering grades, see the Grades and SpeedGrader sections of the Canvas Instructor Guide.
On the gradebook screen, scroll to the right and left to ensure that grades have been entered for all assignment columns, including any students whose work is missing. All fields in the gradebook should contain a score, or a status such as “missing” or “excused”.
2.) Check that all grades have been posted
Some instructors opt for assignment grades to become visible to students automatically, while others post them manually for some or all assignments. If your gradebook contains any assignments set to “manual”, you will need to post these scores so that students can view their grades and feedback, and so the total grade they see in Canvas matches the final grade they receive in Pennant and on their transcript.
To check if your gradebook contains any hidden grades, scroll right to reach the Total column. If there is a crossed-out eyeball in this column (marked with red arrow below), one or more grades have not yet been posted. To locate any assignments with hidden grades, scroll left to locate columns with the crossed-out eyeball (circled in red below).
To post any hidden grades, hover over the assignment column header and click the 3 dots that appear (pictured below). From the drop-down list that appears, click “Post grades”.
Repeat this step until all grades have been posted (your gradebook will be eyeball-free).
3.) Enable your course grading scheme
The course grading scheme allows Canvas to translate students’ final grades from points/percentages into the letter grades that appear in Pennant. If you already enabled a course grading scheme when you set up your gradebook, simply review it to confirm that the letter-number equivalents match what is stated on your syllabus. If your Canvas site does not already have a grading scheme, you should enable it now.
Click Settings from the left side menu, then scroll down and check the box to “Enable course grading scheme”. Click the View/Edit button. The default Canvas grading scheme appears. If this matches the grading scheme outlined on your syllabus, click “Close”. If this does not match your syllabus, click the button in the top right corner (circled below) to edit a copy.
Give your grading scheme a title, and select whether letter grades should be calculated by points or percentage. Adjust the point/percentage values to match the letter grades stated in your syllabus, and delete any unneeded rows. Click “Save”.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Update course details” to save your changes. When you return to the Grades page, the Total column in the gradebook should include both a letter grade and numeric score for each student, as pictured below.
4.) Download and Save the Final Version of the Gradebook
Now that your Canvas gradebook is complete, you should download and save a final copy for your records. This copy can also be used to transfer your final grades to Pennant.
To download your gradebook, click Grades > Export > Export entire gradebook. The resulting CSV file can be saved on your device or secure cloud storage.
5.) Submit official grades to Pennant
The Canvas gradebook is an effective way to communicate final grades to students, but it does not generate official grades for students’ transcripts.
All final grades must be submitted to Courses@Penn/Pennant (or Instruction Center, for Wharton courses only) to become part of students’ official academic records.
Continue to the Submit Final Grades to Pennant page for instructions on entering or uploading final grades. Students’ course grades are not official until you complete this step.
Questions?
Please email canvas@pobox.upenn.edu.
Last Updated: 12 Jan 2024